Adult male with penetrating extremity and chest trauma (gun shot wounds) with peripheral vascular compromise. The patient needs a thorough and systematic approach despite distracting injuries. For both junior and senior learners, the patient progresses from threatened limb (requiring emergent investigation) to a pulseless limb (requiring emergent OR). For senior learners, there will be an additional element of instability from the penetrating chest injury requiring chest tube.
Critical Care 1 – Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
This is the first case in a series looking at critical care medicine. Patients under the care of the critical care team may develop delayed complications of their illness or injuries. This patient with a spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage develops progressive hydrocephalus with need for hyperosmotic therapy and airway management.
Massive Hemoptysis
This is a case of a breathless 57-year-old male coming into a community emergency department with symptoms consistent with COPD exacerbation. During his ED stay, however, the patient will develop massive hemoptysis with airway compromise, requiring learners to secure the airway, reverse anticoagulation, and manage massive hemoptysis.
Multi-case Resuscitation
This is a multi-case simulation. The initial patient will present with a STEMI. The resident will need to arrange for cardiac catheterization and provide appropriate medical treatment. The exact moment these orders are completed, a stroke activation will be called for a patient eligible for tPA. Stroke protocol needs to be followed and tPA will need to be given. As soon as tPA is pushed, the resident will be handed an EKG with signs of hyperkalemia and told that a patient with depression has checked in. The resident will need to immediately evaluate the patient with hyperkalemia and give appropriate medications or they will decline. As they are pushing the medications, a Trauma Level One will be called. The trauma will be an open book pelvic fracture with hypotension and a positive FAST. The patient will need a pelvic binder, blood products, and go immediately to the OR. At this time, the resident will need to follow up on the stroke and hyperkalemia patients before evaluating the patient presenting with depression.
Bronchiolitis
Four days ago, an older sibling who recently started pre-school had a cold. The next day, Zarah fell sick. She has had a runny nose and cough but seemed to be doing fine until yesterday when she did not eat or drink very much. This morning, she had some noisy breathing, and her chest looked funny while she was breathing. When it did not go away after a couple of hours, Zarah’s parents called 811 for advice. They were directed to go to the emergency department. The patient will progress through escalating respiratory support and eventually require intubation and transfer to higher level of care.
Allyship: Gendered Microaggressions
This case aims to address microaggressions using simulation. It is not a traditional simulation case; in many ways, serves as a launching point for conversation.
Wide Complex Tachycardia WPW
A 37F with no past medical history presents with wide complex tachycardia. She is initially stable, and after unsuccessful treatments, will decompensate either with hypotension or with polymorphic atrial fibrillation, and require synchronized cardioversion. After stabilizing the patient, she is revealed to have undiagnosed Wolfe-Parkinson-White.
Ending a resuscitation
The medical aspect of this case is a relatively straight-forward out-of-hospital cardiac arrest where the team must recognize futility and make the decision to stop resuscitation efforts. The primary goal is simulating the experience of making a termination of resuscitation decision, and managing the impacts of a patient’s death. Other goals could also be scaffolded onto this scenario as deemed appropriate by the simulation instructor, including breaking bad news to family member or a simulated hot debrief with the team.
Nightmares Case 12: Hypertensive Encephalopathy
This is the twelfth and final case in a series we are publishing that make up “The Nightmares Course” – a Sim Bootcamp for new residents. It is 3:00 am, you are called to the floor to assess a 73-year old man experiencing confusion, shortness of breath, and chest heaviness.
Accidental Hypothermia
A 24-year-old previously healthy male presents to the ED with absent vital signs. He is out for a trail run when he becomes trapped in waist deep cold water. When he is found by search and rescue, he is awake with altered mental status. He has a cardiac arrest on retrieval and is found to be severely hypothermic. CPR and ACLS is initiated and he is transferred to the nearest community ED. The resuscitation team is expected to perform ACLS specific to hypothermic arrest. The patient will require intubation, active rewarming, defibrillation and discussion with the ECMO physician on call for transport and ECMO assisted rewarming.
EM Sim Cases 